It’s the French Open 2022, but we might as well say it’s 2005. Nadal has won his 14 French Open and 22nd Grand Slam title.
Nadal is imbelibilable or however he likes to pronounce it. There are not many words to describe a player that wins 14 times at the same tournament. He also edges two ahead of Djokovic and Federer in the GOAT race (or BOAT race :)). Djokovic still has a good chance to catch up and overtake, but he needs to act quickly since the young generation should soon get to grand slam winning ways. 22nd Grand Slam title, it sounds almost like a joke, but he did it in style beating Ruud in the final 6-3 6-3 6-0.
It’s not perhaps the scoreline one would hope for in a Grand Slam final. Not much of a battle for the audience to get into. It’s not Nadal’s fault that he is outstanding on clay courts even with an injured foot, but I think some players fold before the match even starts. I’d recommend a more Kyrgios-like attitude than a statement of admiration, and great respect before the contest begins. Maybe some trash talking to spice it up a bit? MMA style? I don’t know. These one-sided scorelines don’t get me going.
Will Nadal retire now?
Some media sources speculated that Nadal would retire after the final, but he has said that this win has motivated him to keep going. Considering the scoreline, he might want to give it one more go for 15 if his foot allows him. But if he has to take serious painkillers or anesthetics just to be able to play (which he did for the French Open), I don’t think it will serve him or his foot well in the long run.
He has already said he won’t be playing Wimbledon and perhaps it’s wise to sit out the rest of the year and focus on the Australian Open and French Open 2023?
We will see. If Nadal does retire, it might be the year where we see Federer retire in Basel and Nadal later on. Not more than speculation at the moment, but not a completely unlikely scenario.
What’s your take on all this?
1 comment
So he is skipping Wimbledon? You’d think he would go for the Grand Slam now that he’s won the 1st two of the year already, as John McEnroe suggested at Roland Garros, last week.
Of course that has crossed Nadal’s mind, too. But if the foot is unwilling, then what he WANTS is irrelevant.
Whatever he decides to do, retire or not, he will NOT be hurting for Grand Slam titles!